Dead Leaf Echo

True.Deep.Sleeper EP

Written by: BV on 26/02/2014 19:08:48

I’ve been having a real craving for anything shoegaze as of late. Perhaps it was due to the sudden influx of awesomeness from the new(ish) My Bloody Valentine album, but I’ve been longing for those lush, occasionally dissonant and cacophonic, pieces of dreamy music. That might also explain why I’ve pickup up Dead Leaf Echo’s latest EP, “True.Deep.Sleeper”, for reviewing. Obviously inspired by bands like The Telescopes and the aforementioned genre-greats My Bloody Valentine, Dead Leaf Echo present a somewhat refreshing take on the genre with up-beat melodies blended into the highly chaotic soundscape – ripe with ludicrous layers of different effects, just as you’d expect from any self-respecting shoegaze outfit.

With opening track “True.Deep.Sleeper”, Dead Leaf Echo cement that they are no mere knockoff of the genre greats. The haunting, echo-y vocals and the lush layers of guitar and synth parts might initially come off as run of the mill as the rest of the bands yearning for attention within the genre. However, the track has an inherent, almost hit-like quality to it that manages to make this incredibly lush sonic assault unusually memorable, seeing as it has been stuck in my head from the very first opening bars of my first listen.

Likewise, “So.Wrong” also possesses this sort of strange and forward attitude to it, whilst maintaining that incredibly introverted vibe that is such an inert part of dream-pop and shoegaze. The gnarly hiss of the wah-wah effect provides an aggressive edge to an otherwise upbeat and straightforward track – adding to an already quite long list of different expressions and emotions that are being conjured up throughout the soundscape. As is customary in the genre, the vocals are hardly intelligible and as such, I’m not going to bother with deciphering the lyrics. Either way, they seem to occupy a backseat position in the grander scheme as the modus operandi of the album generally seems to be conjuring up vast, skillfully crafted sonic journeys – and in that sense, Dead Leaf Echo are most definitely successful.

In essence, this EP bears the markings of a band in continual development. Touring alongside acts with more experience than themselves have done them a great deal of good since their early beginnings and I can honestly say that I’m slowly considering myself a fan of Dead Leaf Echo. I’m looking forward to see what else they have in store.

Download: So.Wrong, True.Deep.Sleeper, Heaven.Sent.Sleeper
For the fans of: The Telescopes, My Bloody Valentine, The Sunshine Factory
Listen: Facebook

Release date 25.02.2014
Moon Sounds Records


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